


The one with the ball

by ilovepenguins



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, One Shot, hollstein fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-15
Updated: 2015-06-15
Packaged: 2018-04-04 11:15:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4135392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilovepenguins/pseuds/ilovepenguins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carmilla and Laura had a fight. They are dealing with it in the only logical way - by throwing a ball at each other. Literally. This turns out to be oddly therapeutic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The one with the ball

**Author's Note:**

> Who remembers that Friends episode with the ball?

The silence is nauseating. The slow ticking of the clock is deafening as it is the only thing in the room that dares to make any noise. Carmilla has her nose stuck in a book, but she’s barely reading it. Eyes are scanning the words mechanically, pale fingers are swiftly turning the pages and yet not a single letter is able to make sense to her. Her mind is settled only on one person, the one who is currently sprawled across her bed on the other side of the room. 

Her girlfriend Laura. Laura, who never leaves things unspoken. Laura, who always has things to say. Laura, who always has stuff to do, not being able to sit still for longer than a minute.

Laura, who is currently sprawled across her bed, eyes staring at the ceiling, hands gripping tightly a softball and a mouth tightly shut.  
Man, did she screw up big time!

But, man, can Carmilla hold her own! If there’s anything she can do it’s being mad at people (or making people be mad at her). She can hold a glare like it’s her job, ignoring people is her specialty, silence is her oldest friend. Basically, she’s the child of darkness, a creature of the night (at least she likes telling herself that). So, why, why, why, does Laura’s silent treatment feel so wrong.

So, yeah, they argued. About stupid little things. And, yeah, Carmilla was being an ass. She always has been one, that’s not new. Laura was also in the wrong and she did say some messed up things. But Carmilla’s words can bite like no one else’s. And now Laura has reached previously unlocked level of upset and Carmilla knows she fucked up. She has to apologize. But she can’t bring herself to do it. Not just yet. Defending her pride and all that.

So there they were. Occupied with nothing but the silence. Suddenly Laura shifts on the bed to face the wall. A small thud is heard and the softball, previously grasped in her hand, falls to the ground and makes its way to Carmilla’s part of the room. A small gasp leaves Laura’s lips as her eyes meet her girlfriend’s for the first time in at least an hour.  
Carmilla stares as the ball comes to a halt right in front of her. ‘You’re coming to the rescue, huh, little buddy,’ she thinks as she slowly reaches down to lock her fingers around it. At the last moment she decides against it and softly pushes it on the ground towards Laura instead. She watches as the ball reaches her girlfriend’s bed and stops right under her foot in its whole ”I’m the only interaction you’ve had with your girl in about an hour and you’re both in the same room” glory. Laura looks at it perplexed, as if it holds the secrets to eternal youth or the answers of the Universe. Finally, she slowly lowers her foot and pushes the ball towards Carmilla, locking eyes with her again.

Carmilla, keeping her eyes fixed on the girl in front of her, catches the ball with her hand and pushes it towards her again, this time harder. Laura wastes no time with kicking the ball back towards Carmilla. ‘Huh, so this is a thing that’s happening,’ she thinks while picking up and actually throwing the ball at Laura. And then catch. And then throw. And then catch. A little harder everytime. Soon her palm starts to sting but there’s no way she’s giving up on this. Whatever it is, that’s going on.

Laura seems to be putting her whole strength and energy at throwing the unfortunate victim of a ball at her girlfriend. Carmilla watches her face as it grows more and more frustrated with each throw until she finally snaps.

“I don’t get it. Why do you have to be like that?” Throw.

“Like what?” Catch.

“Like you are completely unaffected with what’s going on with me or my friends. I know you’re not. So why are you doing it?” Catch. Throw.

“That is just the way I am,” catch, “Cupcake.” Throw.

The mindless throwing of the ball continues in silence for the next several minutes, each girl staring daggers at the other, neither one giving up on their ridiculous game.  
“I’m sorry, creampuff,” Carmilla says after catching a particularly hard ball thrown at her. She decides to leave it at that.  
Catch. Throw. Catch. Throw. Catch. Throw.

“I’m sorry too,” Laura says and then Carmilla feels the ball land softly on her hand. 

“Truce?”

“Yeah.”

And then: Catch. Throw. Catch. Throw. Catch. Throw. Catch. Throw. Only softer this time. With small smiles playing on both girls’ lips. Like it’s the most normal thing to do. Casual Friday night, what’s up!

“Do you know for how long we’ve been doing this,” Laura asks.

“About an hour.”

“Huh.”

And then: Catch. Throw. Catch. Throw. Catch. Throw. Catch. Throw.  
A game that makes no sense. And yet they cannot stop. ‘Kind of like our relationship,’ Carmilla mentally highfives herself for that analogy. Instead of getting bored she feels more and more excited. She comes up with new ways of throwing the ball, finding different trajectories and angles but always making sure it’ll land right in her girlfriend’s small hand. Laura seems to be enjoying this just as much, judging by the expression on her face. Neither of them giving any sign of stopping soon.

“Wanna play a game?”

“I’m sorry, cupcake, but isn’t this exactly what we’re doing?”

“Wanna play a game in the game?”

“Sure.”

“Sooo,” she makes that one adorable scrunched up face while she’s thinking, “from now on, if the ball’s in your hand you have to talk. About anything. But it can only last 10 seconds and then you have to pass the ball.”

“Is this your way of putting me on blast? Creampuff, I know you can do better than that. Like, for example, straight up confronting me.”

“Fine. Don’t do it then!”

“Fine!”

Catch. Throw. Catch. Throw. Catch. Throw. Catch. Throw. A deep sigh. Catch. Throw.

“I know I can be sort of an ass. I’m working on it, I promise. I just sometimes can’t help it and you’re the closest thing to me so I unknowingly spill it all on you. Sorry! I think that’s 10 seconds.” The ball lands in Laura’s hands. She takes a deep breath and Carmilla’s sure of what’s coming. Ms Rambles McGee at full force.

“I know that, Carm. And I’m sorry I reacted like that today, it’s just… I had kind of a rough day and I came here looking for comfort and there was none. I know that it’s not your job to baby me or whatever but I kind of needed it today, I needed you but you snapped at me and well, you know what happened next. And that silence killed me, Carm. Do you know how many times during that hour I was dying to ask you think if penguins have knees. Like I read it on Tumblr and it’s been bothering me since and you always seem to know that kind of stuff because you’re so smart…” the words come shooting out of her mouth in an unbelievable speed. And then the ball is suddenly at Carmilla’s hands again.  
“Holly shit, babe, you actually fit all that in 10 seconds! I, uh, am not good at this thing. Do we have to talk about feelings?” Throw.

“You can talk about whatever you want. Like, you know, that one thing about… penguin knees? You gotta tell me, do they have them?” Throw.

“I’m pretty sure if penguins had knees, they’d be able to jump. Have you ever seen a penguin jump? Have you ever seen a cow jump? I suppose they do, cuz there are bull riders and bulls are basically cows. Why are we talking about this again?” Throw.

“Because you love me.”

“That I do.”

“You’re not supposed to talk, the ball’s in my hand.”

“That game is dumb.”

“I love you too.”  
………………………………………………………………………………

Three hours later they are still at it. Eyes are droopy, voices are tired and hushed but the ball keeps bouncing from bed to bed. And as ridiculous it sounds neither of them wants to let go. For all Carmilla knows she’ll be throwing that ball all the way to hell and back just so she could keep having that moment with Laura. Just so she could listen to her insane theories about the world or observations about things that no one else could ever notice. No one else but her. Her sweet little Laura, with her surprisingly dark sense of humor and unsurprisingly beautiful mind. With her love of pop culture and baked goods. Her girl. And Carmilla’s willing to do whatever it takes to keep that girl close to her. And so the hours pass by unnoticed.

“You just don’t understand! To me ALF is stupid and not just because he has penis face. He came from another planet and all he does is sit with this boring family and order stuff from tv. Like, goooooooo, you’re better than that, you’re missing out on so much stuff. You should explore. For all I know if I ended up on another planet I’d at least go pee behind some building to see if it’s as exciting to do as it is here!” Laura rambles on and on, 10 second rule long forgotten. Throw.

“Wait, peeing behind buildings excites you? Oooh, kinky! You know, one time when Will and I were kids and we were on this road trip and I really wanted to go but I couldn’t and he just took out this bottle and th…”

Carmilla’s speech is interrupted as a pair of familiar redheads appear at their door. Like what else is new? Just as she’s about to ask (ahem, growl at them) what the hell are they doing there, a dawning realization settles in. It’s about 7:30 in the morning. She’s got a class to go to in about half an hour. More importantly, she just spent a whole entire night throwing a ball back and forth with her girlfriend. Out of all things one could do (make-up sex taking the lead on that list), she chose to throw a ball. God damn it, she felt emotionally attached to that ball. They gave him a name, little Charlie, he had a life story (lost his wife to a horrible chewed-by-a-dog accident, now recovering from trauma by shouting rude things at the sky, likes the color blue and likes to eat cold spaghetti, what a weido!), they cannot just, quite literally, drop him like he means nothing to them.  
Carmilla locks her eyes with Laura’s and realizes the feelings are mutual. Catch. Throw. Catch. Throw. Catch. Throw. Catch. Throw. LaF and Perry look at them for a while before bio ginger asks first:

“Um, are you guys ok?”

“Perfect,” is the synchronized answer. 

“Ooookaaay? Well, I was going to ask you if you wanted to go to this party tonight, but somebody,” and they shoot a glare at Perry’s direction, “forgot to mention that we don’t have the address. Or the correct date, for that matter. It could be tonight, it could be next week, for all I know. And I got these facts right before barging in here. Which, by the way, we’re sorry for.”

Catch. Throw. Catch. Throw. Catch. Throw. Catch. Throw.

“Sorry, LaF, I’ve just been distracted this week and…” Ginger 2 joins in but is cut off right away. “What’s been going on with you lately, Per. I mean, you’re the most organized person I know, that doesn’t just happen with you. You changed…”

“No, you changed, Susan! I’ve just been dealing with a lot lately and…”

Catch. Throw. Catch. Throw. Catch. Throw. Catch. Throw

“And what? You know, it’s too early for me to do this!”

“No, LaF, we need to talk, right now!”

Carmilla throws Charlie into Laura’s hand, silently communicating what’s on her mind. Laura seems to be on the same page as she turns her eyes towards the gingers and places a soft kiss on the ball. 

“Hey, LaF!” she calls, “Catch!” and now Charlie is in Bio ginger’s hands. Carmilla could swear she heard her girlfriend whisper “I’ll miss you!” to him before she does so. LaF and Perry are staring at them perplexed as they watch Carmilla jump out of her bed and curl up right beside Laura.

“Why don’t you and Gingerlocks go play this little game we came up with!” Carmilla murmurs from Laura’s side, sleep already overcoming her body, school out of the picture for today. She faintly hears her girlfriend explain the rules as she nuzzles her neck and hums against it contentedly. She can tell Laura’s friends are still confused as to what exactly they should do with poor little Charlie but it only takes a few more seconds until she can hear the familiar sound of the ball being caught and one of the gingers talking softly as they are walking away.

Laura is now holding her tightly, pressing a kiss right under her ear and smiling against her cheek.

“You care about them just as much as I do, you little softie. And I love you so much!”

“I love you too, cupcake!”

And the silence is back, only this time it’s interrupted by Laura’s soft snores, perfectly synched with Carmilla’s own. All is right in the world again. All thanks to Charlie, that good ole crazy man, he knows what he’s doing.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Great usage of face, you!


End file.
